The Development History of Putian’s Shoemaking Industry​

Putian has a long history of shoemaking. The establishment of Putian County Shoe and Leather Factory in 1958 marked the beginning of its modern shoemaking chapter. In the 1970s, the factory produced the first pair of hemp – soled climbing shoes and adhesive shoes exported from the Chinese mainland.

In the 1980s, due to its proximity to Taiwan, a large number of Taiwanese businessmen flocked to Putian to set up factories for OEM production, with sports brands such as Nike being the main players. The shoemaking industry gradually became a pillar industry of Putian, and Putian also earned the title of “Shoe City”. However, the low local costs gave rise to high – quality counterfeit shoes. Some workers in the OEM factories were bribed to smuggle sample shoes or drawings. By the mid – 1990s, Putian had become a gathering place for high – quality counterfeit shoes, but the production technology at that time had not reached the level of being indistinguishable from the real ones as it is now.

At the beginning of the 21st century, industrial transfer led to the large – scale withdrawal of OEM factories, and low – end production lines were moved to Southeast Asia. A group of Putian businessmen took over the local production lines and, using their technical experience, engaged in the production of high – quality counterfeit shoes. The industrial chain of shoemaking in Putian extended upstream and downstream, covering various links such as design, repair, shoe molds, and raw materials. With lower costs and excellent technology, “Putian shoes” became a synonym for high – quality counterfeit shoes.